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HANYS Presents Its Top Honor, The Distinguished Service Award, To New York State's Health Care Auxilians
Hundreds of health care leaders from throughout the state gathered Wednesday evening in Lake George as the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) presented its 30th annual Distinguished Service Award, its highest honor, to New York State"s health care auxiliaries. Since 1979, HANYS has awarded the Distinguished Service Award to individuals who demonstrate their extraordinary commitment to improving health care through service to their community.

Editorial Calls Supreme Court's Pregnancy Leave Decision 'Not Just'
"The Supreme Court keeps finding ways to deny women equal pay and benefits," a New York Times editorial states in response to the court"s 7-2 ruling on Monday that employers are not required to award women credit toward pension benefits for pregnancy leave taken before Congress passed the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act. According to the Times, the ruling reflects reasoning similar to the court"s 2007 decision in which it denied former Goodyear employee Lilly Ledbetter"s "claim for equal pay because it thought she waited too long to file it." In Monday"s decision, the majority "reasoned mainly that the pregnancy leaves predated the 1978 law, and since the law was not retroactive, the discrepancy in benefits was the product of "past completed events that were entirely lawful at the time they occurred,"" the editorial states. It notes that the majority included "two generally reliable votes for equality, Justices John Paul Stevens and David Souter." The editorial continues, "This may sound logical, but it is not just." The editorial says that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in writing the dissent, "quite correctly" recognized a company"s "ongoing denial of equal benefits not as past discriminatory behavior that started and ended decades ago, but as a current violation of the act." In a similar way, "Goodyear discriminated against Lilly Ledbetter by maintaining her unequal pay for years, not merely the first time the company underpaid her." The Times calls on Congress to "write corrective legislation" on pregnancy leave (New York Times, 5/21).
News of the day
AVMA Applauds U.S. House Of Representatives For Introducing Veterinary Public Health Legislation
The nation"s largest veterinary association applauded four members of the U.S. House of Representatives for introducing legislation that confronts public health threats by investing in the public health veterinary workforce
Mental Health

ThromboGenics' Microplasmin Phase III Program Progressing According To Schedule

ThromboGenics NV (Euronext Brussels: THR), a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of innovative treatments for eye disease, vascular disease and cancer, announces that its lead product microplasmin, which is in Phase III trials for the treatment of vitreomacular adhesion, is progressing according to schedule. All protocol-specified, interim masked analyses by the independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) have been completed. Recruitment is on track and the DMC, having found no safety concerns, has unanimously recommended proceeding without protocol modification. Microplasmin"s Phase III program is referred to as the MIVI-TRUST (Microplasmin for IntraVitreous Injection-Traction Release without Surgical Treatment) program. This program involves two clinical trials, taking place in the United States (TG-MV-006 trial) and Europe and the United States (TG-MV-007 trial). The indication for both of the Phase III microplasmin trials is the non-surgical treatment of focal vitreomacular adhesion. Focal vitreomacular adhesion is a condition in which the vitreous gel, in the center of the eye, has an abnormally strong adhesion to the retina at the back of the eye. These adhesions can cause vessel and retinal distortion which results in deterioration in the patient"s vision. Moreover, vitreomacular adhesion is thought to play a key role in numerous back of the eye conditions such as macular hole formation, and some forms of macular edema. Vitreomacular adhesion is also potentially associated with a much poorer prognosis in certain major eye indications, including diabetic retinopathy and Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Both of the Phase III studies are multi-centre, randomized, placebo controlled, double-masked trials which will evaluate 125micro g of microplasmin versus placebo in the intravitreal treatment of patients with focal vitreomacular adhesion. The trials will enrol a total of approximately 320 patients each across approximately 40 centres in the United States (TG-MV-006) and 40 centres in Europe and North America (TG-MV-007). The safety review was the final of two safety reviews, and had been scheduled to take place after 50% of patients had been enrolled in one of the studies. The primary endpoint of both trials is the non-surgical resolution of focal vitreomacular adhesion within one month. Additional measures of efficacy and safety will also be assessed at various intervals over six months in both studies. It is estimated that these two studies will be completed by the end of 2010. Dr. Steve Pakola, Chief Medical Officer of ThromboGenics, commenting on the announcement said, "We are very pleased that the Phase III program for microplasmin is progressing well and that enrolment is on track. We remain confident that microplasmin could potentially make a significant difference to the treatment of back of the eye disease and we very much look forward to reporting the results from these trials." About ThromboGenics ThromboGenics is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of innovative biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of eye disease, vascular disease and cancer. The Company"s lead product microplasmin is in Phase III clinical development for the non-surgical treatment of back of the eye diseases. Microplasmin is also being evaluated in Phase II clinical development for additional vitreoretinal indications and as a potential therapy for stroke. ThromboGenics is also developing novel antibody therapeutics in collaboration with BioInvent International; these include TB-402 (Anti-Factor VIII), a long acting anti-coagulant, and TB-403 (anti-PlGF) for cancer. ThromboGenics has built strong links with the University of Leuven and the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) and has exclusive rights to certain therapeutics developed at these institutions. ThromboGenics is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium. The Company is listed on Eurolist by Euronext Brussels under the symbol THR. Important information about forward-looking statements Certain statements in this press release may be considered "forward-looking". Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, and, accordingly, entail and are influenced by various risks and uncertainties. The Company therefore cannot provide any assurance that such forward-looking statements will materialize and does not assume an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or any other reason. Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties affecting the business and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement is contained in the Company"s Annual Report. ThromboGenics NV


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